Thank you to “Important to Madeleine” blog, another 18th-century French history chaser, for this lovely post! 

I’ve finally found someone who is as interested in French history as I!  She doesn’t just have an interest, she has a Master’s in European History to back it up.  Meeting Elissa (online, no less) is a prime example of what I’ve always told my kids about life.  You just really never know what can happen.  Many of the very best things in my life have just fallen into my lap with no prior planning, expectation, or even conscious hope.   So it was when I happened upon Elissa’s blog, was emboldened by the fact she was from Texas, sent her an email to ask her a simple question about Paris, and, from that, almost instantly, we decide to meet in Paris in March.  For five years, I’ve wanted someone with whom I could discuss the ins and outs of French history and, suddenly, here she is.  It’s so fantastic that it’s easy to be unintimidated by the fact that she’s young and adorable.  It helps that, as a Texan, she’s also down to earth and just a really nice person.

Instead of trudging through my version of Elissa’s, and her husband, Matt’s, (who, by the way, is a chef which dovetails nicely with another interest of mine) glittering evening at an actual Versailles masked ball, you can read her sparkling description on her blog:  https://thetravelingpear.com/2011/07/10/591/ 

And, the section of the blog that prompted me to email her:     
https://thetravelingpear.com/2012/09/24/reblogged-versailles-a-private-tour/

If, by some freak occurrence, someone stumbles upon this blog and shares this obsession, let me know and you’ll be welcome to join us in Paris.

Interesting in Chasing French History too?  Drop me an email…